Social Skills

The Blog

Christine O'Leary Christine O'Leary

Building Self-Esteem and Social Skills: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Guide

Did you know that 85% of autistic adults report that social challenges significantly impact their quality of life, while a 2024 study found that 40% of children with autism struggle with low self-worth? It's deeply painful to feel like a perpetual outsider or to carry the heavy weight of past social rejections. You deserve to move through the world without the constant, draining anxiety of "getting it wrong" in every conversation. We believe that building self-esteem and social skills isn't about "fixing" your personality; it's about providing the ecological validity and predictable frameworks you need to thrive as your authentic self.

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Christine O'Leary Christine O'Leary

Nobody tells you about the Friday nights.

Nobody warns you about the Friday nights. If your teenager with autism is struggling to make friends, here's what's really going on, and what can actually help.

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Christine O'Leary Christine O'Leary

What Can Jazz Teach Us About Social Skills?

Jazz isn't just music, it's conversation. Discover how the structure of jazz mirrors the social skills we teach in PEERS®, and why those skills are learnable for every young person.

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Christine O'Leary Christine O'Leary

When Your Autistic Teen Has an Intense Crush: What Parents Need to Know

If your autistic teen has developed an intense fixation on someone they like, you are not alone. And it is not something to panic about.

What you are observing is not a character flaw or a sign that something isn't going as it should. For many autistic young people, romantic feelings can be experienced more intensely and for longer than their peers. The desire for connection is real and it is meaningful. What is often missing are the practical skills to navigate those feelings in ways that feel comfortable for everyone involved.

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Christine O'Leary Christine O'Leary

How to Help Your Autistic Teen Make Friends

"Put yourself out there."

"Friends will come when you least expect it."

If you're a parent of an autistic teenager, you've probably heard all this advice. And if you're like most parents I work with, you've also watched your teen try to follow it—and fail.

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Christine O'Leary Christine O'Leary

Nourish to Flourish: Supporting Social and Emotional Wellbeing

Supporting social and emotional wellbeing goes far beyond physical health. For many children, teens, and young adults — particularly those who are autistic or neurodivergent — flourishing depends on feeling understood, regulated, and supported in everyday interactions.

This month’s theme, Nourish to Flourish, invites us to think about how we nourish minds, emotions, and resilience — especially during times of social stress, change, or uncertainty.

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